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The number of malaria cases in the village of Pelele Tepoe shows a sharp increase from September 2020 compared to the other months in 2020. In this context, the Medical Mission Primary Health Care Suriname (MZ), in collaboration with the Malaria Program of the Ministry of Public health in Suriname organized an emergency krutu. This krutu was held on Friday October 2 in the village of PeleleTepoe with the village captain, basjas and the Rangers of ACT.
The purpose of the krutu was to discuss the malaria situation in the village and to find out together how to make this situation manageable. The Director of MZ, Herman Jintie, has asked the captain to find out how he can make a contribution together with the inhabitants of the village. “Not only MZ or the Malaria Program must ensure that Pelele Tepoe becomes malaria-free, but the community and stakeholders must also contribute.
MZ’s policy is to prevent malaria from occurring in the Surinamese interior. The community contributes by adhering to the preventive measures and by immediately registering for screening and treatment in case of complaints ”, the director indicates. The Medical Mission has placed an MZ microscopist at the outpatient clinic for a period of 3 months, who will carry out the screening and testing on site. The treatment is done pro-tocolly by a Health Care Assistant (GzA) in close consultation with the doctor.
Helene Hiwat, Coordinator of the Malaria Program of the Ministry of Health, indicates that Suriname was almost malaria-free. “The first malaria outbreak for this year was on Palumeu which ended through good community collaboration. At the moment, we have only fallen on Pelele Tepoe and Apetina malaria, and we also expect the same cooperation to make Pelele Tepoe malaria-free, ”says the coordinator of the Malaria Program. She asks the captain and the community to also cooperate by doing self-protection (including sleeping under a mosquito net) and to participate in the treatment thereof.
The village captain indicated that he was grateful that there is national attention for the malaria situation on Pelele Tepoe and has promised to convey the message. Together with his structures, he will ensure that everyone who enters the village will undergo mandatory screening for malaria. Together with the Ministry of Health, MZ is monitoring the malaria situation in Pelele Tepoe and the nearby indigenous villages.
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